Enterprise Safety Management: Creating a Framework
January 2008
The bedrock on which the enterprise safety
management (ESM) framework rests is a culture that values safety, has a vision
for creating an injury-free workplace, and follows a strategy that ensures the
accomplishment of that goal. (See my September
2007 article.) The foundation for the ESM framework is a "best-in-class"
safety program that acts as a guideline to the organization's management and
employees in fostering an injury-free workplace.
by Peter
G. Furst
Liberty Mutual Group
The ESM framework is about integrating and aligning the organization's systems,
processes, and procedures and providing the people within the organization with
the information so that they may learn, innovate, and drive excellence in the
operations so as to achieve an injury-free workplace (IFW).
Click here for the
Enterprise Safety Framework.
The ESM framework has four key elements: safety procedures, people focus,
operational process, and organization systems. Each element has two attributes.
For these elements to effectively participate in the creation of an IFW, they
require relevant and timely information. The sources of information are external
and internal, with a 360-degree focus. The people "activate" the organization,
so it is imperative to manifest the "right" leadership, manage effectively,
and provide timely information so that everyone may make the appropriate decisions
to achieve an IFW. The reward and recognition systems must also support this.
The ESM elements also have to become aligned with other elements and integrated
into the organizational systems.
Safety Procedures
The safety procedures address the technical aspects of managing safety. There
is a program element, a risk assessment element, specific requirements for managing
safety, as well as the necessary resources.
Programs
The safety program must include all the sound engineering practices, state-of-the-art
education, audits, and inspections to ensure that policies and procedures are
followed. These elements should be in line with processes and procedures utilized
by the best-in-class organizations. The safety process must also address the
unique needs, risks, and exposures of the organization, which may include a
substance abuse program, an automobile fleet program, a wellness program, etc.
The program must become a process and be integrated into operations so that
it is a true "part" of the way things are done.
Risk Focus
Traditional safety management spends a great deal of time identifying physical
exposures to hazards and worker behavior. These kinds of interventions do result
in some improvement in performance, but ultimately they plateau. The reason
being that injuries may be driven by other risks that are not dealt with in
the "hazard-exposure" analysis. To effectively address the elimination of worker
injuries, the organization must focus on risk. Some other areas where risks
may reside are operational procedures, business practices and organizational
systems. These risks also must be identified, analyzed, and eliminated or reduced
to an acceptable level. Another area of risk mitigation involves the definition
of the organization's acceptable level of risk.
People Focus
There are two attributes to focusing on people: leadership/management and
getting people involved.
Leadership/Management
Leadership is a key element in creating and sustaining a value-based culture
which supports excellence. Principle-centered leadership involves ethical behavior,
causal thinking, inspiring a shared vision, enabling and encouraging others
to act, modeling the way, challenging the process, and encouraging others to
carry on.
Management is the process of obtaining, deploying, and utilizing a variety
of essential resources to effectively and efficiently contribute to an organization's
success. Managers deal with one of the most important resources of the organization—the
employees. Managers spend much of their time planning, organizing, controlling,
staffing, and energizing the work of people and other resources. Management
is necessary, but leadership is essential.
Involved Employees
To achieve an IFW, the organization needs to have its employees involved
and to actively care about creating an injury-free workplace. The employees
need to follow safe work practices, watch out for one another, diligently participate
in identifying risk in the daily operations and work procedures, and plan the
daily activities with safety in mind.
Operational Processes
Lean thinking is about eliminating waste. Any activity that absorbs resources
and does not create value is deemed as wasteful. Let's apply this thinking to
the practice of traditional safety.
Efficiency and Quality
Loss analysis, toolbox talks, safety training, safety committees, accident
investigations, etc., all are practiced to prevent future losses. We know for
a fact that these do not completely eliminate risk. These techniques have been
practiced since the inception of formal safety in the early decades of the past
century. If these techniques truly worked, then after about 100 years, we would
have eliminated all incidents. So there must be risks that these tools do not
either identify or do not effectively control. So, to some extend there is "waste"
in the practice of safety.
To achieve improvement in anything, we need metrics. In safety, the metrics
are historical and reflect past underperformance. A study of the past is not
the best predictor of a future state. The standard that is used for benchmarking
is the Bureau of Labor Statistics information, which is basically an average,
and not too challenging to meet. Small improvements over the average standard
will not create an IFW. To achieve excellence in safety performance we need
a standard that reflects high expectations.1
If we map the process to create value, foster efficiency, and aspire to standards
of excellence, we will end up with stellar results and an injury-free workplace.
Planning and Integration
Everything that is done requires some form of planning. Contractors are good
at planning the work. The key is to plan the work with safety in mind. To effectively
manage safety, pre-operational planning must occur very early in the contracting
process. Some of the longest lead items dealing with safety may have to be included
in the "buy"; therefore, safety planning should start at the time of estimating
and pricing. Planning then needs to continue throughout the construction effort.
With a project overall safety plan formulated before the start of work, followed
by phase of construction planning, then midrange planning (2-4 weeks), and task
planning, this cascading of plans will address long-term and short-term project
safety needs.
Organizational Systems
The two attributes of organizational systems are (1) systems and processes
and (2) innovation and learning.
Systems and Processes
These cover the policies, procedures, and practices the organization engages
in to exist. It includes human relations, accounting, legal, organizational
structure, business practices, operational means and methods, and for contractors,
bidding, estimating, purchasing, cost control, and other aspects necessary to
engage in the construction business. All these systems have to be aligned to
achieve excellence in performance. This is evidenced in production, quality,
and safety results.
Business and operational integration is crucial to the creation of an injury-free
workplace. The internal systems, processes, and procedures must be in harmony
and all work toward the creation of an injury-free workplace. This integration
and alignment encompass a 360-degree focus horizontally, vertically, internally
and externally. It also implies flawless execution.
Innovation and Learning
Innovation, growth, and learning are important because of the nature of modern
business. Just about the only constant in business is that change is inevitable.
And change is occurring at faster and faster rates. So the organization has
to understand its environment and learn from it so as to change its internal
processes and procedures to remain competitive and perform well. The innovation
continuum includes efficiency, as well as evolutionary and revolutionary innovation.
Growth involves increased knowledge and understanding by the employees, as well
as management, thereby enabling them to effectively operate and support the
internal integration and alignment necessary to create the injury-free workplace.
See the second part of this
enterprise safety management
series that discusses alignment and execution; communication and metrics; and
culture, values, and vision.
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